Improve your cold email campaigns

This blog post covers the most intriguing cold email statistics as we dissect what they mean and explain how you can use them to improve your cold email campaigns.

General cold email statistics

General cold email statistics

Let's look at general statistics before going into subject lines, follow-ups, open and reply rates, and more.

1. Email is almost 40 times more effective at securing customers compared to social media

According to this study done by McKinsey, email has proven time and time again that its the most effective way to gain new customers.

Here are a few examples that have proven to be successful with a cold email campaign:

• Jake Jorgovan landed Fortune 500 clients using cold email

• Alex Berman closed $400,000 worth of deals in 30 days with cold emailing

• Belkins landed a six-figure client thanks to cold emailing

• Laura Lopuch grew her freelance business by 1400% using cold email

2. 80% of people prefer sales reps to contact them via email

We know that most people are time-poor and always on the go. The best way to reach these people is by email. Traditionally people were open to spending time on the phone with a sales rep, but these days people prefer to read their emails when they have time. Sending emails doesn't interrupt a customer's busy day and gives them time to read your email properly and take in information at a convenient time. They're also more intentional when opening an email than scrolling and seeing ads that attempt to distract and convert them to customers.

3. Sales reps spend 21% of their workday on writing emails

Sales reps and spending more time writing emails and following up on leads. Engaging prospects and generating meetings usually happen after the initial contact, meaning that writing and sending cold emails, replying to prospects, and setting up meetings are crucial parts of the sales process.

Cold email subject line statistics

The subject line has a significant impact on the effectiveness of your cold email. Let’s look at some important cold email subject line statistics.

4. 33% of people open emails based on the subject line alone

The first thing a prospect notices about your email is the subject line. This will determine whether they open it or not, so it's crucial the subject line is catchy and immediately grabs attention.

The main thing a subject line has to do is spark curiosity. It may be helpful to include an offer a customer couldn't resist, a question, or an interesting fact related to your business or product.

5. Emails with personalized subject lines get 50% higher open rates

Personalization can impact open rates significantly. A study by Yes Lifecycle Marketing reveals that emails with personalized subject lines get 50% higher open rates.

However, according to the same study, only 2% of emails use personalization.

Consider using these personalized subject lines if you’d like to improve the open rate for your cold emails:

• Hey {{first_name}}

• Idea for {{company}}

• Nice to meet you at {{event}}

• A better way to solve {{pain point}}

6. Adding the prospect’s company name in the subject line can increase open rates by 22%

Including the prospect's company name immediately lets the prospect know that the email could benefit their business or company, making it more likely for them to open.

Here are a few examples of cold email subject lines personalized with the prospect’s company name that you can use for your next email:

• [Your company] + {{company}} = 🚀

• Quick collaboration with {{company}}

• Resources that can help {{Company Name}} right now

7. Subject lines that include a question get 21% higher open rates

As mentioned previously, a good subject line invokes curiously and makes the prospect interested in what the email contains. Accomplish this by adding a question to your subject line.

This can improve your open rate by up to 21%.

Here are some examples:

• Your thoughts?

• {{Name}}, can you keep a secret?

• {{first_name}}, can we connect?

• Ready to discuss {{problem}}?

• Are you happy with {{competitor}}?

8. Subject lines that include numbers get 113% higher open rates

So, if you’re looking to boost the open rate for your next cold email, try including a number in the subject line. Here are a few ideas:

• X tips to help solve {{pain point}}

• X steps to reaching {{goal}}

• X options to get started

Now go out there and make these improvements to your cold email campaign. When you see an increase in performance, you can come back here for more tips.